Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-11-17
RANK BRAGGARDISM.
Republican Partisans Trying to Pose as
Political Saints.

Republican Partisans Trying to Pose az
Political Saints.
The Republican State Committee has
issued leaflets containing q list of the
great deeds done by the party, presum-
ably unaided and alone. The follow
ing are. perhaps, the most conspicuous
and brilliant:
It subdued the rebellion and saved the Union
1t raised the Nation from bankruptcy. and Sc
cured for our public credit the faith OF the f1nan
6,Ial world.
1t has practically given each citizen q free
home by securing the public domain from the
monopoly of capital
II has made competency a condition of up
continent to office and fidelity to duty the ten
IRE OF holding it.
These are only samples of a large
line of heroic measures which consti-
tute the Republican demand for anoth-
er lease of power. 1t will be seen at
a casual glance that the party IS COM
posed of all the professional saints in
Il population of something over sixty
million people. They regard them
selves as the only authorized agents
for the importation of political virtue
from the New Jerusalem. and have
formed a combine" to hold the article
for a rise of the market.
If we look little closely at the facts,
however, we find that these Republic
ans have not a clear title to their claim.
forgetfulness, and, while wildly re-
calling certain parts of the evidence.
utterly "disremember other pafts
equally important. For example, when
they declare that they have ''practi-
.cally given each citizen free home by
securing the public domain from the
monopoly of capital" we recall Baron
Munchausen, who had the same habit
of extolling himself for heroic achieve
ments which were all in his eye. The
cold, untlinching records of history
show that the Republican party has
uniformly played into the hands of the
monopoly of capital" and deliberate
ly cheated nearly million and half
of our citizens out of farms of one hun
.dred and sixty acres each by giving
over two hundred million acres of the
public domain to big corporations.
cattle syndicates, land spectators and
aliens.
AS to making competency a condi-
ton of appointment to Office and fdel-
ity to duty the tenure for holding it, -
we rise to remark that Civil-Service
reform properly administered keeps a
faithful servant of the public in office
regardless of his politics, but that on
the advent of Democratic Admins
tration and when the books were
looked over it was found that Demo-
Gratis holding even minor offices were
as scarce as hens teeth. With the
rarest exceptions every position within
the gift of the Government was held
10y a Republican partisan. whose sal
AIRY was assessed for political purposes
and whose position was used as a Gen.
ter of political influence.
Well, let the Republicans go ahead
ON their own line. They know what
they can do best, and since it is boast
ing. why, let them boast to their heart
content. This is a free country. and il
they can persuade the people to think
as much of them as they seem to think
of themselves. all right. Ours is q
Government of the people. for the peo-
pie and by the peo pie. and no one can
deny that the people are king.
The Republicans have no principles
to fight for, or if they have they con-
ceal them very successfully. What
the country needs and must have if i